Santa Cruz County Board of Supes address needle exchange, medical pot

SANTA CRUZ -- The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors had a couple of drug problems on its hands Tuesday.

Taking up separate issues that touched on drug paraphernalia and medical marijuana, the county weighed its response to public safety issues raised by the Santa Cruz Public Safety Task Force -- including a controversial needle exchange program -- before turning its attention to new rules for pot cultivation in unincorporated areas of the county.

After several high-profile tragedies, the task force last year explored a range of criminal justice issues, including relocating a county-run needle exchange. But citing decades of research on their importance in preventing the spread of diseases, including HIV, the county hasn't budged.

"I don't want anyone to get the impression that some of the comments we made mean we don't support the report or don't believe in the report," Chief Administrative Officer Susan Mauriello said. "We think there's a lot to work on there, and we'd be happy to do so in a collaborative way."

At least two supervisors want to go even further. Supervisor Neal Coonerty said Watsonville and Santa Cruz should get veto power over future needle exchange sites, and he wants to explore ways to better track needles.

"I support strongly the syringe-exchange program, but I also recognize that there are consequences to this program," Coonerty said.

"Having something centered in their neighborhood, literally, is not fair to them," McPherson said.

Since taking over the exchange last April from a nonprofit, the county has collected more needles than it has given out. But that hasn't quelled sweeping criticism of the program, which many blame for needles found on beaches, sidewalks and in parks.

"They're on the sidewalk everywhere. I don't understand how you guys don't understand this," said Meriah Campbell, who lives near the county's Emeline Street campus, where the exchange is located.

Supervisor John Leopold, a former head of the Santa Cruz AIDS Project, vehemently defended needle exchanges, particularly after one task force member was dismissive of their value.

"There is over 20 years of research on this health care practice," Leopold said. "You can't fake 20 years of research."

Santa Cruz Mayor Lynn Robinson, who has often prodded the county to act, offered an olive branch and said she was pleased with the county's overall attention to the issues.

"This is a start," Robinson said. "And I'll take a start."

The county will finalize its response to the Santa Cruz Public Safety Task Force report at its February meeting.

One thing it did polish off, however, was a suite of medical marijuana regulations. With new rules governing pot dispensaries now in effect, the county approved new cultivation rules with a 4-1 vote. Chair Zach Friend opposed them.

Those rules restrict large commercial grows to rural areas and keeps personal grows to 100 square feet, though outdoor neighborhood grows are now banned in Friend's district, which includes part of Capitola, Aptos, La Selva Beach, Corralitos and part of Watsonville.

The rules also require cultivation businesses to obtain certification from an independent third party that it complies with county rules. The county board backed off, however, on requiring landlords to give written permission for marijuana grows, instead requiring permission for "specialty crops."

"It's not a reasonable thing to ask landlords to do, and it's going to have a massive chilling effect on all grows throughout the county," said Trevor Luxon, a local attorney.

The county board also decided to remove all references to marijuana in its controversial ordinances, using "cannabis" instead.